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HOURS after inhaling “Frost/Nixon” ‘s raves, David Frost flew home. But not before I asked, were it back in those younger, hungrier days, would he risk the same financial ruin to try for George W. Bush to maybe apologize? Long pause. Loooooonnngggg pause. Then: “Yes. I interviewed Bush senior and would certainly have tried for Bush junior. The problem is, the money has changed. The dollars it cost me would be prohibitive in today’s market. But would I want to have tried to get him to really say he’s sorry? Absolutely.”

POOR multimillionaire Tom Cruise. Katie Holmes‘ friends say he’s “med dling . . . controlling . . . won’t let her out of his sight.” Say she also suffers “a critical mother-in-law” who’s around 24/7, monitors her clothes with “Isn’t that too revealing for a wife and mother?,” watches what she feeds Suri, checks Katie’s own sweet tooth, saying nobody loves a fat wife, and reports all to Peeping Tom. They supposedly “beg her to break it off with Tom.”

Star magazine reports his presence on the set of “Mad Money,” the movie she’s making in Shreveport, La., is causing co-stars Ted Danson, Diane Keaton, Queen Latifah and the crew angst. She was to do the seven-week shoot alone. Then he tagged along. Then his mom tagged along with his tagging along. Then he didn’t like where the company’s opening party was, then he didn’t like the invitees, then he didn’t like sitting with others, then he didn’t like dining without his own personal entourage, then he didn’t like going at all.

‘Tis a cauldron of whispers.

AT age 11 Anna Paquin won Best Sup porting Actress in Jane Campion‘s “The Piano” with Holly Hunter and Harvey Keitel. She says: “That was 1993. I’ve grown up a lot since, but it’s always what everyone asks about. I’m now close to Holly Hunter’s age. I could play my own character’s mother. It felt weird when I saw it recently on DVD.”

Today, along with her financier brother, she’s a first-time producer and debuting Friday at the Tribeca Film Festival. “Blue State” is a political romantic comedy about a Dem who follows his promise to live abroad if Dubya gets re-elected. Anna, who plays the girlfriend, says: “A writer friend from college took the idea to my brother, and that’s how it began. It’s a small independent film, and I can’t even say what it cost. I was nervous about producing, but I have a high threshold of fear and figured, ‘Well, this either works or doesn’t.’ But I’d rather be scared than not to have tried.”

About whether her face is recognizable to fans today, it’s, “I don’t want people looking and then having to give them my résumé. So I walk really fast. I blend into a crowd.”

HEAVY into things green, even to rais ing some for the Old Vic, Bloomy gave Kevin Spacey a small, private dinner. A Yank starring on B’way, Kevin’s also artistic director of London’s Old Vic Theatre, which he wouldn’t mind seeing have a New York annex . . . Channel 4 singing bye, bye, Miss American Pie to Ellen DeGeneres. Her show’s had a bad attack of ratings . . . “Toward Darkness,” a kidnapping thriller diller chiller, debuts at Tribeca Friday. Star America Ferrera is also exec producer . . . Sharon Stone and sister Kelly shipped hundreds of Dior, Cavalli, BCBG, Luca Luca, Nicole Miller, Moschino, Ferretti, Donald Pliner dresses to needies who needed them for a prom. And greater need hath no teen . . . Last Sunday’s New York Times did a huge piece on the proliferation of banks on every street corner. Lovely. I did it three Sundays ago on April 1.

UPCOMING for Channel 11 is Warner’s TV series “Gossip Girls.” Not about my types. About rich Upper East Siders. The 10 episodes shoot here . . . And looks like Glenn Close‘s FX network pilot “Damages,” which shot at Steiner Studios, got a go . . . Grocery czar John Catsimatidis, absotively posolutely running for mayor, may either fund it himself like City Hall’s current incumbent, or take only $50-$100 donations so the masses can feel part of the process. Lordy, all these rich men paying for their own elections. If poor Abe Lincoln, in his lousy cheapo log condo, ever came back, he wouldn’t have a shot . . . Mariah, recording a new album, booked a whole month in Anguilla’s biggest villa and had a studio built in . . . Fran Martin, a very stylish New Yorker, has launched Style for Her. Want an advisory service or personal shopper? Call (212) 799-1278.

SUNDAY. This lady in sneakers, leisure suit, stupid headset with wires dan gling from her ear is power-walking and power-running at 9 a.m. Running across Sixth, running across Fifth, running east on 57th, running toward Madison when, suddenly, she passed Chanel. The huffing and puffing stopped instantly. She doubled back, paused, stopped dead, inched up to the window, looked up and down and left and right, squinted through the doorway, stepped back to view it from afar, then, never breaking stride despite taxicabs or passers-by, resumed her forced march toward Park Avenue.